Saving My Life By Simping For My Empress - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: “I’m thinking about how I can strike it rich.”

After finishing breakfast, Qin Ji decided to receive the Prime Minister and the others in his study.

Having attended court for so many days, he now recognized these pillars of the state.

There was Prime Minister Zhao Anhong, a very upright man; the Minister of Revenue, Li Wei, who was always smiling and never seemed openly dissatisfied with anyone; and the Minister of Works, Huang Zuo, who had a fiery temper.

As for the Marquis of Wuping… wait, why did it feel like he had never seen this person before?

He beckoned Gao De over and whispered into his ear: “Gao De, who is this Marquis of Wuping?”

Gao De: “…Your Majesty, the Marquis of Wuping and the Marquis of Guiyuan are biological brothers.”

It seemed his Majesty’s brain wasn’t the only thing with problems; his memory was failing too.

Qin Ji frowned: “How are there two Marquises in one family?”

Even he knew that it was rare for a single clan to hold two titles of nobility; usually, only one person inherits the primary rank.

Gao De: “Your Majesty, you granted the title to the Marquis of Wuping personally, as a favor to the Heir of Guiyuan.”

Qin Ji’s soul nearly fled his body in fright: “I only gave him a title? Did I give him anything else?”

Gao De: “In reply to Your Majesty, it is only a nominal title. Nothing else was given.”

Qin Ji patted his chest. That was a relief; he really couldn’t take that kind of blow.

“Alright, let all four of them in. I want to hear what they have to say.” Once Qin Ji was prepared, he had Gao De summon them.

The four men entered and knelt to pay their respects. Only after Qin Ji said “You may rise” did they stand.

However, while Zhao Anhong, Li Wei, and Huang Zuo stood properly in their official robes, the Marquis of Wuping was restless, fidgeting where he stood.

Qin Ji: “Marquis of Wuping, do you have sores on the soles of your feet?”

The Marquis of Wuping: “???”

“Your Majesty, your servant… does not have sores on his feet.” The Marquis was bewildered.

Qin Ji: “Then why are you swaying while standing? If you really have sores, don’t hide it. I’ll have the Imperial Physician take a look.”

Zhao Anhong: “…” Li Wei: “…” Huang Zuo: “…”

The Marquis of Wuping looked embarrassed: “I thank Your Majesty, but I truly have no sores.”

Qin Ji nodded. Seeing that standing was tiring for them, he said to Gao De: “Gao De, provide seats.”

He signaled frantically to Gao De with his eyes, holding up three fingers.

Gao De understood. He ordered people to bring in three chairs for the three officials.

The Emperor was no longer the man he used to be—he no longer listened to the slanders of petty men. The Marquis of Wuping was likely going to leave the palace in tears today.

Three young eunuchs brought in a chair each.

“Minister Zhao, Minister Li, Minister Huang—please, sit.” Qin Ji invited the three to take their seats.

The Marquis of Wuping glanced toward the door, but no fourth eunuch appeared with a chair.

“Your Majesty, your servant… remains standing?” the Marquis asked in disbelief.

Qin Ji took a sip of tea: “Is there a problem with you standing?”

Did the Marquis dare to say there was? Naturally not.

“In reply to Your Majesty, your servant has no problem.”

Qin Ji calmly set down his teacup and scanned his ministers.

The Prime Minister looked quite gratified, the Minister of Revenue seemed to be suppressed a laugh, and the Minister of Works looked as if he was still dazed by the favorable treatment he’d received.

Qin Ji withdrew his gaze: “Why have you come to the palace so early? What is the matter?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty,” Zhao Anhong rose and bowed. “The matter we wish to seek your instructions on concerns the Marquis of Wuping.”

“Oh?” Qin Ji leaned forward. “Then speak.”

The Marquis of Wuping let out a silent huff of indignation.

“Your Majesty, although the Marquis of Wuping holds a noble title, it is a nominal one—no stipend, no rewards. Yet, because of this, the Marquis went to the Ministry of Revenue demanding a stipend befitting his rank. He also went to the Ministry of Works, claiming he wanted a Marquis’s Manor built for him.”

Qin Ji was stunned. Was the Marquis of Wuping really this arrogant? Who had spoiled him?

Oh… it seemed the person who spoiled him was himself (the Tyrant).

In his heart, Qin Ji cursed the Tyrant another hundred thousand times.

“Marquis of Wuping, is what the Prime Minister said true?” Qin Ji glanced indifferently at him.

The Marquis, still unaware of his current predicament, actually spoke with grandiosity: “Your Majesty, I am a Marquis. Naturally, everything a Marquis is entitled to should not be lacking. Don’t you agree, Your Majesty?”

Qin Ji said nothing, his fingertips slowly tapping on the desk.

As Qin Ji tapped, the Marquis’s confidence began to leak away, drop by drop.

“Minister Li, according to the laws of our Qin State, what is the stipend for a Marquis?” Qin Ji had no idea, so he simply asked.

“In reply to Your Majesty, a Marquis receives the taxes from a fief of a thousand households,” Li Wei reported.

“A thousand households… that’s quite a lot.” Qin Ji suddenly flashed a smile at the Marquis of Wuping.

“I see that our Qin State isn’t exactly wealthy. How about this: the title of Marquis of Wuping is stripped as of today. This will save the Marquis the trouble of running around for these matters.” Qin Ji handed down the decision lightheartedly.

Led by Zhao Anhong, Li Wei and Huang Zuo all knelt and shouted: “Your Majesty is wise!”

The Marquis of Wuping fell to his knees in a hurry, crawling forward a few steps: “Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to withdraw the order!”

He had worked so hard to get this title; how could it be lost so easily?

“Stay away from me!” Qin Ji panicked. This guy’s title started with “Wu” (Military)—was he a martial artist? What if he jumped up and hit him?

At Qin Ji’s shout, the color drained from the Marquis’s face. He was finished; he had lost the Emperor’s favor.

“If you’re so bored that you’re restless, go find something to do,” Qin Ji said, taking a sip of tea to calm his nerves. “If you can’t find anything, come to the palace and be a eunuch.”

The Marquis’s head hit the floor, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Qin Ji: Why is he shaking? Shouldn’t I be the one who was scared?

“Gao De, get him out of here.” For the sake of his own safety, Qin Ji decided to keep the Marquis at a distance.

“Guards! Drag him out and banish him from the palace,” Gao De acted decisively. He had no fear of a man who had lost favor and held no power.

…

Once the Marquis was gone, Qin Ji continued his chat with Zhao Anhong and the others. The most important business of the day wasn’t actually the Marquis.

“Your Majesty, the snow disaster in the north last year was more severe than we anticipated. Officials from the Ministry of Works have returned from their inspection and submitted a detailed report. Please look it over, Your Majesty.” Zhao Anhong began to pull out a memorial.

Qin Ji: I can’t read it!

“I won’t look at it. Prime Minister, just tell me directly.” If he tried to read it, God knows how many characters he wouldn’t recognize.

Zhao Anhong didn’t insist. He pulled back the memorial and gave a verbal report.

Qin Ji understood: the snowfall last year was too heavy. Collapsed houses and frozen livestock had already been addressed by imperial commissioners last year. However, there were fears that the Ruo River in the north might breach its banks this year.

A river breach would have a far more devastating impact. To ensure the Ruo River remained stable, repairs were necessary—and that was a massive, expensive project.

No wonder they had brought both the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Works.

“Has the Ministry of Works estimated the cost?” Qin Ji took a deep breath, hoping the number Huang Zuo gave wouldn’t scare him to death.

Huang Zuo: “Your Majesty, my colleagues and I have calculated for many days. If we want a long-term solution, it will require 500,000 taels of silver.”

Qin Ji nearly fainted.

He looked at Li Wei: “Minister Li, can the Qin State produce 500,000 taels in one go?”

Li Wei said with difficulty: “Your Majesty, we can produce it, but… the year has only just begun.”

The year had just started, and no one knew how many other expenses would arise. Spending 500,000 taels all at once was indeed a massive drain.

Qin Ji took another sip of tea to steady himself. He understood that the national treasury’s funds couldn’t be moved lightly. If another disaster struck later in the year—like a flood or a drought—and they needed silver for relief, they’d be in trouble. If the harvest was bad and the people couldn’t pay taxes, the state would have no money to spend for the rest of the year.

“Minister Li, how does the Qin State currently tax merchants?” Qin Ji asked.

“In reply to Your Majesty, it is a flat rate of thirty percent,” Li Wei replied.

Farmers were taxed twenty percent, merchants thirty percent—and even the wealthiest merchants paid the same thirty percent. Was the wealth gap a bit too large?

“Change the merchant tax. Implement it in tiers; tax the wealthy merchants more.” Qin Ji racked his brain and could only come up with this method; he couldn’t think of anything else.

Li Wei: “Your servant obeys the command.”

“Minister Huang, search among the common people for skilled craftsmen. See if there’s any way to save some silver. If not, we’ll talk again.” Qin Ji wanted to hide his face. Was this really something a “trash” like him should be worrying about?

Huang Zuo bowed and accepted the order.

The Ruo River couldn’t be ignored; it was vital to the nation’s livelihood. But he couldn’t just focus on the river. As the saying goes, one must save for a rainy day. He had to keep some silver in reserve for emergencies.

…

After seeing the Prime Minister and the others off, Qin Ji felt like a dead fish that had lost its dreams.

Wei Yu entered the study and, seeing Qin Ji looking half-dead, asked: “What is wrong with Your Majesty?”

Qin Ji’s gaze slowly focused: “I’m thinking about how I can strike it rich.”

Wei Yu almost failed to grasp his meaning. After a moment of reflection, he asked: “Your Majesty wishes to increase the funds in the national treasury?”

Qin Ji sprang up, accidentally twisting his back again: “Wei Yu, do you have any good ideas?”

Wei Yu said without hesitation: “I do.”

Qin Ji: “Tell me, tell me! I want to know.”

Wei Yu: “Find a few families who have committed crimes and raid their homes.”

Qin Ji: “Huh?”

What was that?

Qin Ji rubbed his ears, suspecting they were broken: “Can you say that again?”

Wei Yu looked at Qin Ji with a deep gaze: “Confiscate their property.”

Qin Ji slumped back again, twisting his back for the second time.

What a joke. He, Qin Ji—a “trash” who only made it into a decent university through cramming—was going to lead a house raid.